Sentinel of The Starry Skies
by AngelFallenFromTheObservatory
Summary: 150-year-old adolescent Celestrian girl by the name of Prodigy becomes fatefully separated from her home in the clouds and from her partner Platinum, and undergoes a devastating transformation of a mortal-looking being, having losing her wings and halo during her fall to the Protectorate. After she recovers in Angel Falls, Prodigy is determined to return to the Observatory...
1. Tragic Prologue

That vampiress cannot seem to leave the poor townies of Angel Falls alone, can she not? Raven is a regular rival of us Celestrians, but do not put words in my mouth for me, we do not fear her by any means. We pummel her into the state of agony and defeat, not out of fear, but out of justice. She will destroy the peace and livelihood of the mortals of Angel Falls and the rest of the Protectorate if Platinum and I allow it, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Apus would have my head if I let Raven loose about the mortal world.

Platinum, my long-time comrade and even longer-time childhood friend, is always at my side. On top of being my friend and partner in guardianship, he is also my sweetheart, lesser known by our Celestrian kind. Perhaps this is why Raven hates me the most out of the other Celestrians who have battled her before. She has a huge adoration and infatuation for Platinum, for whatever reasons that may be. And she may be very jealous of me, for the reason that I receive mounds upon mounds of admiration from Platinum, whether it be given in affection, or even given in praise and admiration for my strength. Either this, or that it had been specifically assigned to me to beat her to a pulp and send her into a painful oblivion.

Raven did not even say a word this time for her defeat, where usually she would say that "we got the upper hand on her", or where she would say that "her defeat was excusable, because we ambushed her". No, only this time, she scowled at me, frowned sadly at Platinum, scowled back at me, and we watched her disperse into a thousand black birds and taking to the skies as a charcoal chorus of a fleeing flock of ravens and crows.

"Well, that is that," my silver-haired partner said, glancing my way. He slipped my hand in his and we looked up at the black flock getting smaller and smaller. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flashing teal blue color, and I turned to see a floating orb of benevolessence, the crystallized form of gratitude given by defeated monsters and the protected mortals for our good deeds of protecting them with our lives. Not that it was by our choice to watch over them, it was the charge upon our race to protect the foolish, imperfect beings created by the Almighty, the charge bestowed unto us by the Almighty, Himself. Why we were the ones who were forced to endure this heavy weight upon our shoulders, I do not know, and I have my doubts that I will ever know, but we look forward to our salvation from this grave responsibility of ours.

"Prodigy, is it just me, or does it look to me as if there is finally enough benevolessence to bear the fruits of Yggdrasil?" Platinum asked me with an exhilarated voice an octave higher than his own. Our salvation relies on the baring of the fortifying golden fruits from the Great World Tree, formally known as Yggdrasil, that sits atop of our home in the skies, the Observatory. The fruits are called Fyggs, although I have yet to find out why.

"You are not the only one who sees the big bounty of benevolessence. Shall we deliver them right away? 'I would give my wings and halo to be able to venture to the Realm of The Almighty right now'." Our hands gently freed the other and I came to touch an orb of benevolessence. A tingly, wintry-cool sensation tickled my palm.

"We should, but I do ever so worry about what will become of the mortals once we are gone in our paradise." I looked back at Platinum with an astounded gaze. My Platinum could say the most curious things at some times. He seems to have a certain fond for the humans, like how I have a certain fond for him. His wild mop of silvery-white hair reminded me of the sparkling white snow of Snowberia for his cool and relaxing attitude, and his red eyes remind me of his fiery and fierce fighting spirit. He was a brave Celestrian and I am proud to share our title "Guardians of Angel Falls" with him. His wings had grown a little longer from when we had started our apprenticeship, back when they barely reached our hips and just above our shoulders. Still, they were nowhere near as long as the more nubile of our flock, where they barely had to flap their wings to keep in the air.

"What do you mean by that?"

"We had just defeated an evil of the Protectorate. Defeated, not ridded. And 'an evil', not 'the evil'. There must be plenty of other evils out there, waiting to destroy our mortals!"

"The mortals will be fine. It is said that once we return to our salvation, that the mortal lands won't be as dangerous as they once were, meaning that the monster population will decrease steadily to the point where it is safe enough for the humans to take it upon themselves to hunt the monsters down themselves. Do not fret for them."

"But..."

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life hunting down every evil and obliterating them for the mortals, who could eventually do that themselves, or do you want to go about our salvation? I guarantee you that you'll never reach salvation if you miss this opportunity." Platinum sighed and put his arm around me.

"I suppose you are right, my love." Our wings flapped heavily as when got off the ground and shot up for the sky.

"Since when was I ever wrong?"

* * *

We entered the Observatory through the star cut-out in the marbled floor. A few of our flock took notice of us and our benevolessence. They wore impressed and astounded faces as we climbed the staircase to Apus Major.

"We have returned, Apus Major," Platinum and I said in unison monotone. Apus had a sad look upon his face.

"Ah! There's the young duo of angels I have be waiting to hear from! How peculiar, you two have not been apprentices in decades, but yet, you refuse to adopt new attire to fit your stature."

"We like our apprenticeship clothing. They remind us of Aquila..."

"Why is it with you two that you seem to not have any delight in reporting to me? It isn't that bad to talk to me, is it?"

"We do not hate reporting, but we do not enjoy doing it, either. It feels like business to us, that is all."

"I wish it were more like talking to a parent… Oh! I-I'm so ever sorry, Platinum. I-I didn't mean to touch a nerve, my child!"

"Of course you did not, Apus. I am not offended by what you had said. I am aware of how it could have hurt me, but I know you are the gentle leader of us, and that you would never wish to inflict pain and damage unto us, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional. Please, do not think that I am hurt by your very unintentional insult, for I do not think that you intentionally meant to say that insult."

"Thank you, my child. I rather not bring up a raw topic, but we all wish that your father could be with us. You are not alone in missing him."

"It will be an even bigger shame when he does not join us in our salvation," I spoke up gravely.

"What is it you mean, Prodigy? You speak as if our salvation will upon us right this minute."

"That is because I think it will be. From mine and Platinum's most recent fray with the vampiress Raven, we have collected dozens and dozens of orbs of benevolessence. We wish to offer the orbs unto Yggdrasil. Please, we wish for access to Yggdrasil."

"Prodigy, is it true that you have collected a bunch of benevolessence?" I nod my head in confirmation, and even hold out an orb in my hand.

"…Make haste to get ready, then meet me at the top of the Observatory." Platinum and I quickly prayed, and hustled after Apus, who bolted quickly for the top of the Observatory. With as fast as Apus was running, and with how many flights of stairs were in the Observatory, my legs have grown to become pudding at the top of the Observatory.

"Why… was it again… that we can… cannot use… our wings… to get to… the… top?" was all I could puff out, plopping right next to Platinum and crashing onto the grassy field.

"Your wings are put to use ninety-nine percent of the time in the Protectorate, surely you would be wanting to use your legs up here, instead. Now, let us offer up the benevolessence. I had to crawl back onto my feet along with Platinum and wobbled over to Yggdrasil. She was fiercely aglow with the bright holy color of gold. Apus gave us word to offer up our bundle of benevolessence to Yggdrasil. We watched as the beautiful crystal orbs floated up to Yggdrasil's leaves, and she sparkled in a golden-bathed light. I saw the miraculous Fyggs blooming about the emerald green leaves, and I heard a train whistle in the distance, quickly becoming closer and closer with each passing second. A golden train swiveled around our floating home and settle upon the arch that held our Great World Tree like a mother holds her baby in her arms. The train slowly became quiet, and Platinum held my left hand in his left hand, and wrapped his arms around me from behind me.

I thought heavily about how awful it was that Aquila could not be with us when the Observatory became shrouded in a dark and eerie atmosphere. Something powerful and sullen struck the Observatory like a bolt of lightning and roared like a roll of thunder. A few more strikes forced Platinum to let go of me and caused me to fall a few feet away from him. He and I grabbed onto the above-ground roots of Yggdrasil to keep to the Observatory, but one last strike at Yggdrasil's feet made me let go. I tumbled back and fetched the edge of the platform, dangling dangerously off of my home. Platinum rushed over to me and offered me his hand, but it was too late for me. I did not fall right away, no.

Instead, I was picked up by a strong strike in my stomach from a collected swirling gust of dark power, and I was forced away from Platinum, having to see the horrified and forlorn face of my lover from above him, where he could not reach out and hold me to him. It was then that, as a teardrop fell from my cheek and by his knees, I was thrown even higher into the black and purple clouded sky and chucked down. I saw a bright flash of gold being spread out in different directions, and I felt my own wings tearing apart by my fall. I even watched as my snowy white feathers filled the sky with my trail from the Observatory, which was becoming smaller and smaller from my sight. My sight, which was getting blacker and shadier than that of the aura of the Observatory now. My silver halo leaving its orbit and being sent into a random direction from me, and a very familiar town coming very close to me… Or was I coming closer to it? (SPLASH) … … …

I am writing this for Camp NaNoWriMo. My username is MrsRyouBakura, send me an inbox or something, I always respond! I should tell you by now, I don't go EXACTLY by the storyline, like most Dragon Quest IX fanfictions go by. Stella/Sandy, however, remains the same sprite we know her to be. She does more stuff, too, and Prodigy, the main character if you didn't know by know, is a bit edgy from the fall, just warning you now. She's not too thrilled about mortals, especially Ivor. I'm thinking about loosing up Prodigy's attitude a bit, but every other Dragon Quest IX's hero is all chipper and happy, and I don't want to be a Mary-Sue... I'm AFFTO, not Mary Sue.

Anyways, review! Seeing as you are good boys and girls, you get an extra chapter to read! ^^


	2. A Broken Celestrian

It was at this time a few days ago that a huge earthquake shook the world and delivered damage to the little village town of Angel Falls, knocking the church bell out of its tower and shattering the gold metal, and splintering the welcoming gate.

It was also at this time that a young minstrel fell from the high waterfall. Lucky, was she, that she fell into the enchanted proclaimed healing waters of Angel Falls, but she didn't walk away with no injuries. When Erinn found her, the minstrel girl was very devastated and weak.

Her golden hair was entangling many bloody white plumes and her crimson eyes held a helpless gaze. The back of her clothes were drizzled with blood and torn wildly down her spin. Her striped dandelion-coloured stockings were with a tear here and there, and gaping holes in her knees, revealing her scratched raw skin. She was trembling immensely, and she couldn't even climb out of the waters onto the bridge, and so one of the bigger-built men of the town had to scoop her shaking small body out of the waters and carry her into Erinn's house, the young blue-haired innkeeper girl flusteredly urging him to hurry the hurt minstrel into her house.

That was a few days ago. The minstrel girl was almost fully healed by now, walking only with the slightest hint of a limp in her left leg and a wrapping of white bandages around her right arm. Erinn looked out of her window in her kitchen and stirred the contents of a large metal pot as she eyed the golden-blonde girl staring up at the guardian statue.

"Hey! It's that minstrel who fell off of the waterfall during the earthquake the other day!" a boy's voice called from outside. Two blond boys walked up to the Prodigy girl by the statue, tearing her gaze from the statue to the two of them.

"Uh oh, not him! 'He's going to rile her feathers like he's been doing for the past few days!' Grandpa, I'm going to stop Ivor before he makes an idiot out of himself again!"

"I thought I told you that my name was Prodigy! In fact, I believe I told you thrice already, each time you paid me a visit at Erinn's house! I would think that you would have learned my name by now! Prodigy! Prod-i-gy! Now you say it, Ivor! See, look! I barely know you, but even I know your name from hearing it once from Erinn when she scolded you to leave me alone!"

"I doubt that's even your real name! I bet you're just a no-good wandering minstrel, taking up a guardian's name to get a free lunch! Well listen to this, oddball! I won't let you get away with any funny business on my patch!"

"'No-good wandering minstrel'?-! Why, I oughta-"

"IVOR! HUGO!" Erinn put her hands on her hips and scowled at the lot of them.

"E-Erinn! I-I-We didn't see you there!"

"What are you doing, upsetting Prodigy like this?"

"W-We were just leaving! C'mon, Hugo, let's go!" Hugo followed Ivor away from Prodigy.

"I'm sorry, Prodigy. I don't know what's gotten into Ivor these days. He hasn't been like this before in the past… Anyways, if you're moving around, you must be feeling better. I was really surprised when I found you at the bridge. It was a miracle how you survived like that, with only a few cuts and bruises. You must be stronger than you look!" Prodigy nodded simply.

'You have no idea, my mortal, do you, Erinn? There is a reason why I was able to survive that fall. I am not an inferior mortal like you. And my fall was from a greater height than you imagine, a much greater height. A height that is, literally, out of this world! Still, I suppose your little mortal mind would not be able to comprehend that, now would it?'

"Thank you, Erinn. It's thanks to you that I can move around on my own," Prodigy smiled and said in a humbling way. It made Prodigy feel sick to her stomach that she could not act on her superior title over the mortals, and that she had to humble herself to the greedy little being. She had to, though, she must not reveal her true being and uncover her race to the mortals, not after all the centuries and millenniums her fellow Celestrians have sought to keep themselves hidden from mortal eyes. Although, she had grown a small liking towards this Erinn girl. She was definitely different from all the other mortals Prodigy knew in her long life-span.

'Of course, I would have been way better off if I still have my wings, because I could just fly back up to the Observatory and rest back in my home, but no! I just had to have fallen here, in the backwater village!'

"Well, at least you're alright, now. I'll have dinner ready soon, so why don't you have a look around the town? Get to meet some people, y'know? The townspeople were asking me if you were going to be back on your feet soon, they were really worried about you. You should let them know that you're alright, I'll be at the house if you need me." With that, Erinn left for the house to resume making the meal for them. Prodigy walked around for a little, then looked up at the big house next to the inn and the barn. She entered and realized that it was Ivor's house. She secretly listened to Ivor being scolded by his father.

"…Would it kill you to pull a leaf out of Erinn's book? You would do well by walking in her shoes, Ivor!"

"What does she have to do with anything?! Don't bring her up, dad!"

"The entire town and I are sick of you hanging around, doing nothing with your life! It is about time you start doing something around here!" Having heard enough of that, Prodigy quietly left the house and came back to Erinn's home.

"Oh, there you are, Prodigy! I was wondering when you were going to be back. Dinner's all ready, and I'm sure you're hungry. Could you help me set up the table?" Prodigy didn't even say a word and immediately started setting the table.

"Are you feeling okay?" Erinn asked, glancing over to see a table already set.

"Oh, yes. I'm feeling well. It is just, I am still thinking about what Ivor said to me earlier, about me being a no-good wandering minstrel, taking up a guardian's name to get a free lunch…"

"Oh! Don't listen to what he said! I know that's not true, don't worry!"

"I know, but I would actually like to learn about these 'guardians' that the town talks about so much. What and who are they?"

"You don't know who they are?" Prodigy shook her head, lying. Of course she knew very well all about the guardians, she was one, herself. But, she was curious as to what the mortals truly thought of them.

"Not at all. My village does not know of such guardians."

"Oh! Well, our village believes that there are two powerful beings who protect us from evil monsters. I mean, we haven't seen them yet, or we may never be able to see them, but there are dozens and dozens of monsters outside of the village who could come and attack us at any moment, but they leave us alone. And I bet that's because the monsters are afraid that the guardians will destroy them if they hurt one of us."

'It looks as if I was wrong about the mortals taking their protection for granted. Or I may not be… At least this one seems to know that there are Celestrians protecting her and her town.'

"Could you tell me more about them?"

"I'm afraid that's all I know, besides the rumor of their names being Prodigy and Platinum. Oh, well it's not so much of a rumor, it's just more of a belief, but because we never met them, we can't ask them their names, so we go along with calling them by those names."

'How intriguing! They know our names, although they have never seen us! These mortals are brighter than they appear to be! How on earth did they learn of our names? Could Raven have possibly gotten to them before? …No, no, Prodigy, you shake that thought out of your head! Of course Raven has not gotten to them! If she did, the town would not appear to look highly of us…'

* * *

"…Good morning, Prodigy!" the broken Celestrian could hear, visioning Erinn hovering over her with a face brighter than the sun, even though her eyes were closed. She rolled over and moaned.

"…Five more minutes!" Erinn frowned.

"Oh, please get up! Ivor's here to see you." Prodigy's eyes snapped open with a gaze of disgust and disturbance.

"…Him? Why him? Anybody but him!" Erinn offered her a sad "please forgive me" smile.

"He knows you're here, and I can't very well turn him away. Please just give him a few minutes of your time. If he becomes too much, you can feel free to slap him. After that little sting he said to you yesterday, you'll be allowed to get away with it."

"PRODIGY! ARE YOU IN THERE? I WANT TO TALK TO YOU!" Prodigy's erratic queasy face looked out the window. There, she saw Ivor looking up at the house. He looked as obnoxious and annoying as ever, possibly even more annoying and obnoxious today.

"Well, at least he's learned my name. But if he's going to scream it every time he talks to or mentions me, I'd prefer that he went back to calling me a no-good wandering minstrel…"

"There you are, Prodigy! Let's go outside, Prodigy! I want to talk to you, Prodigy!" Ivor lead Prodigy outside and around Erinn's house.

"Prodigy, I-"

"Alright! I get it! You know my name! Now stop saying it, please!"

"Okay, then I'll get to what I wanted to say to you, Prodi… Ahem. Okay, so it's like this: My dad's been ragging on me about doing nothing around the town and bothering people." Prodigy was going to say "I know", but chose her words quickly but cunningly, and said:

"Yes, bothering people, like me."

"Are you still on that 'no-good wandering minstrel' thing I said yesterday?"

"…I was not until now…"

"Forget I mentioned it! Forget I mentioned it! …Anyways, my dad's really been on my case, and I want to prove him wrong, that I don't hang around, doing nothing."

"How are you going prove him wrong?"

"The earthquake caused a rock slide to happen in the mountain pass, and now nobody can get in or out of Angel Falls. It's a real bother for Eri-It's a real bother for everyone in the town."

"…And what does this have to do with me?"

"I'm sure you want to leave Angel Falls eventually. I mean, you have to, you can't just mooch off of Erinn forever, y'know."

"Yes, but besides that, what's talking to me about a rock slide going to do about it?"

"That's where you come in. You minstrel types are pretty handy in a scrap, right?"

"…No, not really… Where did you get that ridiculous idea from, the same place where you got the also-ridiculous idea that I take on a guardian's name to get a free lunch?"

"Oh, come on now! You know you want to pay back Erinn for what she's done for you. This is the perfect opportunity to do so! What do you say?"

"…I do want to help Erinn out…"

"I knew you'd say yes. Right then, you lead, Prodig… ahem! I mean, partner!" Prodigy walked towards the broken village gate. Hugo stood guard there.

"There goes another lamb for the slaughter. You can't go out there, Prodigy, it's too dangerous!"

"Hey, Hugo! Stop scaring her! She's with me, she's not going to get hurt!"

"Actually, YOU are with ME, so YOU are not going to get hurt."

"H-Hey! What's going on? How come you replaced me with a girl?"

"What is that supposed to mean? What does me being a girl have to do with anything?"

"I didn't replace you, stupid! Now get out of the way, we're going to clear to mountain pass!"

"But there's monsters out there-"

"Nothing that I can't handle!"

"But surely it will be something that I will have to handle…" Prodigy sighed, examining her nails while Ivor and Hugo have their conversation. 'How demeaning, getting cut out of the picture by these two idiots…'

"…O-Okay, but please be careful out there!" Prodigy took a step forward, but then Hugo grabbed her arm and whispered to her his concerns.

"If you are getting low on HP and MP, remember to come back here and relax for a while. A quick rest at Erinn's will put you at full health."

"What are you, Prodigy's mother? She can take care of herself!"

"…Please look after Ivor, okay? Make sure that Ivor doesn't do anything stupid or like him."

* * *

It wasn't long before a teeny sanguini came along the path, floating around with its adorable tiny purple bat wings and tail flapping and wagging. Ivor dropped his manly composure at the sight of it, as if it were a cute kitten or playful puppy-dog. His eyes were big and watery as he was being killed over by its cuteness.

"Oh, that is the cutest little creature I've ever seen! Prodigy, come look at it with me! Oh, it is SO CUTE!"

"Ivor, get away from it! It's more dangerous than it appears to be!"

"How can this little guy be dangerous? Come here, little guy-HOLYCRAPONACRACKER! ITSEVIL!" Ivor leaped back from the teeny sanguini and its huge razor-sharp bite. The teeny sanguini growled and circled around them.

"Now you done it, you idiot!"

"What? What did I do?"

"It is going to attack us now! Why did you have to bother it? I wanted to quickly clear the mountain pass and go back to Erinn's and resume my sleep! But NO! I had to go on some little trip with you and get attacked by a low-leveled monster!" The teeny sanguini lunged at Ivor, who shielded his pretty-boy face with his arms.

'As if that would've protected him' Prodigy thought as she saw the teeny sanguine about to bite into his head with its giant jaw. But, of course, the ex-angel had been standing right there and wouldn't stand for a dead Ivor, so she brought her sword up through the teeny sanguini's plump hamster body. Prodigy sliced at the teeny sanguini until it fell to the ground and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"It's gone! Prodigy, you defeated it! Yay, you're really stro-OWOWOWOWOW! THAT'S MY EAR! THAT'S MY EAR!"

"I know it's your ear! I have to drag you like this so you do not cause us-I mean, ME!-any more trouble!"

"OWOWOW, PLEASE, PRODIGY, PLEASE LET GO! OWOWOW! IT HURTS SO BADLY! OWOWOWOWOW!"

Yes, what did I tell you? Prodigy definitely has an attitude, all right. She gets better, though, trust me. In due time, readers who can't stand Prodigy's attitude, in due time. Now, that I gave you an extra chapter, how about you review this one as well? :) I just might... Give you one more bonus chapter! My treat!

REVIEW!


	3. The Hexagon

Sorry, author's note before the story. I cannot seem to write Prodigy's fight in the chapter. It will cut it off. Sorry, here, I'll tell you what happens. Prodigy is slowly gaining control of the fight. She stumbles over a piece of broken rock from the Hexagon's ceiling, and snaps her ankle that was almost healed. The Hexagoon almost kills her, and she finally destroys it with a final blow. Okay, got that understood? Alright, now here's the story.

Prodigy stopped suddenly, staring up ahead as if she were in a trance. Prodigy's grip on Ivor's ear slipped as her arm fell to her side. Ivor looked back at Prodigy's dumbfounded face to the object she was staring at.

"What are you staring at, Prodigy?"

'The Starflight Express,' Prodigy wanted to reply, but she couldn't make any words; she was speechless that the celestial carriage had fallen to her destination. Or, to be more accurate, that she had fallen to its destination. And as if he would've understood its importance. Weird enough, though, the celestial carriage appeared… dead.

"It's just a fallen tree! You can be formally weird sometimes!"

'And how would finding my possible rescue from the mortal lands be considered "formally weird"?'

"I'll go on ahead, okay, Prodigy?"

"…Huh? Y-Yeah, sure. That-that is fine." Ivor shrugged and went up towards the rock slide. Prodigy felt the side of the Starflight Express. Cold and metallic to the touch of her skin. She gripped the dirtied-silver railings of the train steps and brought her hand up to the door to open it and enter, but then remembered that she came to clear the rock slide. And that she didn't know how to drive a train, let alone the celestial carriage itself. So she hurried over to where Ivor was, but before she completely left the scene, she could have sworn she heard a twinkling sound and the small voice of a female.

"Huh, that was weird. It was almost like she could see the Starflight Express…"

"Oh, no! It's worse than I thought!"

'I must be hearing things, I'm going crazy from being in the Protectorate for too long… and I can bet all my money that my insanity is constantly being fueled by the Ivor child…" Prodigy rushed over and saw how big the rubble was. She sweatdropped and placed her hands on her hips.

"So… How do you expect us to clear this all in one day, huh, Ivor?"

"This isn't fair! I was supposed to come home a hero! 'Ivor saves the day' and all!" Ivor stomped on the ground. "Stupid rock slide!" He kicked the rubble hard, making dust and tiny rocks come down upon him and Prodigy, sending them into fits of horrible coughing.

"Hello? Is someone out there? We are soldiers from Stornway, sent to clear out the mountain pass, orders given directly by King Schott himself," a deep voice called from the other side of the rubble.

"King Schott from Stornway? He must really care about Angel Falls for going out of his way to clear the pass for us. Wow, I guess we really weren't needed here at all, Prodigy!"

"Wait! There's another thing we must ask you! Have you heard of a lass named Patty? She was coming up to Angel Falls when the earthquake happened. There's a rumor that she came through the Hexagon. Is that true?"

"The Hexagon? Nobody goes through the Hexagon anymore! It's all infested with monsters and it's too dangerous to go through! No woman in their right mind would go through there! Sorry, but the rumor's must be wrong."

"Oh, well ask around your town about a lass named Patty. That would be just peachy!"

"C'mon, Prodigy, let's go home!" They walked out of the mountain pass and back onto the trail. It was way late at night when they came back home.

"There you are, Prodigy! I hope Ivor wasn't too much of a pain in your rear, was he?" a familiar blue-haired young woman asked, tightening a sherbet orange bandana around her head and picking up a basket that carried a few whole wheat buns and a few other foodly things, as well as a folded article of crimson red and marigold clothing.

"Not too terribly, no."

"By the way, I've fixed up your shirt, you'll be able to return to wearing it rather than the plain clothes I let you borrow."

"Thank you!"

"Hey! You don't know what Prodigy and I tried to do to help you out! You'll be thanking me, you just wait!" Prodigy walked away with Ivor, glancing helplessly over her shoulder and a "Help me" look. Ivor led Prodigy inside and told his father about what happened in the mountain pass.

"…So, you're telling me that the mountain pass is blocked by fallen boulders and there's no way to get through?" Prodigy and Ivor nodded as one.

"Yeah, so it's like 'Ivor saves the day', right?"

"Absolutely not!"

"What?! But why?"

"I'm completely ashamed and disappointed with both of you, exposing yourself to the dangers of the monster lands outside our village! It was utterly foolish of the both of you putting yourself at risk like that, utterly foolish!"

'What is truly utterly foolish is thinking that those sorry excuses for demons were going to hurt me and Ivor! Sure, I may be injured and Ivor may be a weak warrior, but I am anything but weak!' Prodigy wanted to say this, but of course, along with her other earlier thoughts, she forbid herself from saying the words.

"But, dad! If wasn't for me and Prodigy, you wouldn't have known about the mountain pass!"

"Bah! I would've found out in due time, Ivor!" Ivor sighed, knowing that his father would never understand him and Prodigy's pure intentions to help the town.

"Okay, fine, whatever… Oh, right, there was something else we were supposed to tell you. Something about this woman named Patty coming through the Hexagon…" Footsteps grew closer to them. Erinn bolted into the room, looking dreadfully serious at Ivor. Not a furious-serious, but a scared-serious.

"Wait, is that true?" she asked, coming to his side.

"E-Erinn?! What are-What are you doing here?"

"Why do you think I'm here, Ivor?" she said, cockily and angrily, hands held firmly at her hips and foot stomping the ground. "I came here because I heard you whisked Prodigy away on some silly little adventure of yours! Now tell me, what was it about this Patty you heard?"

"Something about her coming through the Hexagon… …Why?"

"Do you know this Patty girl? I remember that you came from Stornway when you were just a wee little thing."

"I somewhat remember a woman from when I was really young. She was a good friend of my dad's. Oh no, maybe Patty's come to give my father a visit, but she must not know about his passing two years ago!"

"Apparently she came through the Hexagon, so who knows where she may be right now…"

"Erinn, it's about time you took Prodigy home. I have to talk privately to a certain pig-headed son of mine…" Ivor flinched and turned towards his father, blushing because of what his father said in front of the girls.

"Th-That was uncalled for, dad!"

* * *

"…You see, Patty was an old friend of my dad, and she's probably coming to visit him. I guess the news of his death hasn't reached her in Stornway those two years ago. And now she is probably trapped somewhere in the Hexagon, because the earthquake might've caved in the catacombs of the place…"

"Oh, that sounds so terrible!" Erinn nodded, sliding off of her stool to stand.

"That was why I was wondering… You are stronger than your looks let on… And you and Ivor definitely returned without a single scratch on you… I was wondering, if you could…" Erinn immediately shook her head, trying to get rid of that nasty thought in her head. How could she possibly ask a hurt teenager to go on a dangerous rescue mission to retrieve her father's old friend?!

"N-Never mind!"

"No, wait, what was it that you were going to say?" Prodigy insisted on getting Erinn to give her that mission to rescue Patty. She had to go to the Hexagon, even despite the fact that she still had her barely-visible limp and that it could cause her downfall in the near future if she left while it was still hurt.

"It-It was nothing! Don't worry about it! I couldn't possibly ask you to go find Patty, so don't go!"

"But I am still allowed to go outside the village, right?"

"I suppose you can, just don't put yourself in any danger, okay? Try not to overdo-it, though."

* * *

Once she knew that Erinn and her grandfather were deep asleep, she snuck out of bed and out of her room. She tiptoed to the door, where she was caught off-guard by Erinn's grandfather sitting up in bed and clucking his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk, now, may I ask where a certain minstrel is going? A certain HURT minstrel, may I add?" he asked, smirking sleepily like how a freshly-awoken parent grins when they catch their child digging through the cookie jar when they should be, instead, deep asleep in their bed.

"ACK! Uh, Erinn's grandfather! I-I-I was just…"

"'You were just' what?" The grandfather's grin grew wider with each stutter Prodigy made.

"I-I-I was just going to go… pay my respects to the guardian statue!" The grandfather rose his eyebrow suspiciously.

"Uh-huh… Going to pay your respects to the guardian statue, huh?"

"…Alright, it was not my first intentions to go do that, but I will before I leave."

"Where do you plan on going? The mountain pass isn't open yet."

"I know, I am only leaving the town briefly. I am going to…" Prodigy's eyes wandered up to the stairs, deeply afraid that Erinn could hear them.

"Relax, Erinn is a heavy sleeper. She won't wake up any time soon."

"…Alright, I am going to the Hexagon. I am going to save Patty. I will find her and bring her here, back out of harm's way."

"But you're injured, Prodigy!"

"Oh, hush, I'm your guardian. It is my job." Prodigy was not aware that what she spoke in her mouth had escaped her lips in a disgruntled groan.

"What did you…" Before Erinn's grandpa could finish his sentence, Prodigy walked out of the house. She kneeled in front of the guardian statue, inscribed with her and her comrade's name, when she heard someone call out to her.

"Prodigy, wait!" She turned around and found him, the grandfather, coming up to her awfully fast for his age.

"Wait! Wait… If you're going to go rescue Patty, you need to go along the path to the mountain pass, and when you see an opening of field to your right, go into the opening, and you should find another path that leads you to the Hexagon. Good luck, and be careful!"

"Thank you… I won't be gone for long!" She ran to the gate and walked past Hugo, who stopped her for the second time this day.

"I just wanted to thank you for watching out for Ivor earlier today. I know he gets on our nerves a lot, but I wouldn't wish him dead anytime soon."

"That would not have to do with the fact that you are his best friend, would it?"

"Yeah, but even he gets on my nerves sometimes! But anyways, seeing as you are way tougher than what we first thought of you, as how you protected yourself and Ivor, I won't stop you from leaving now. Take care of yourself out there, though! Just because you're as tough as dirt and nails, that doesn't mean you're invincible!"

'Yes it does!'

"Do not worry about me!"

* * *

Prodigy was back at the Hexagon. She finds a ghostly man, who leads her to a statue without saying a word, until he tells her to look on the back of the statue, where she found a switch and upon flipping it, a door nearby was opened. Prodigy explored the catacombs of the Hexagon until she made her way through and found a girl lying uncomfortably beside a pile of rocks, and upon closer inspection, it was more accurate to say that her leg was buried underneath the rocks.

"Hey, there, sweetie. Could you get these rocks off my leg? Oh, no, I'm not too terribly hurt, but it's a bother, you know?" Prodigy began to pry the leaden rocks off the girl's leg when there was heavy rumbling above them.

"Oh, brother! It's back!"

"What? What's back?" A section in the ceiling crumbling down into pieces in front of them, while the rest of the ceiling remained sturdy and solid, leaving Prodigy to wonder why it didn't come crashing on her as she navigated through the catacombs earlier.

"I was trying to outrun this big guy earlier, and I got trapped underneath these rocks. Watch your head, sweetie!"

* * *

Prodigy turned to help the girl out, but found her already out of the pile of heavy rocks.

"Sorry for the trouble, but I already managed to get free in the heat of the battle. Let's get out of here, being attacked by monsters is a real drag, huh? Here, let me help you with that." The girl threw Prodigy's arm over her shoulder and helped her out of the Hexagon. After they come out of the Hexagon, the girl turned around towards Prodigy.

"That's right, I haven't told you who I was yet, have I? I'm Patty, and you are?"

"I'm Prodigy, of Angel Falls."

"Get outta here! You're from Angel Falls?"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?" The look changed from a slightly-prideful expression on her face to a look of something important being briefly forgotten and suddenly remembered.

"Ack! That reminds me! I have to get there, ASAP! Thanks a bunch, sweetie!" Patty ran off towards the small town, leaving a broken-ankle'd Prodigy with something less than a more-deserving reward: a simple wave with the palm of her hand.

**Sorry, guys... I didn't mean to add Stella's part to the story in this chapter. She was supposed to come in the next chapter. I have the story already pre-written in Google Docs and what-not... I have it all the way to he point where Prodigy meets her teammates... So... I'm going to be adding chapters little bit by little bit... And I have to fix this chapter, off course, so in the next chapter, yes, you probably already have read it, but still read it again... Sorry for the mess up, guys! T-T**


	4. Enter, Stella!

Prodigy was not a happy person when she was storming back to Angel Falls, limping with her terribly aching ankle. So, this was the Patty who was apparently such great friends of Erinn's father. She had assumed that Patty would be much more grateful than what she had shown her just a while ago. She could've at least helped her back to the village!

"I mean, come on! I rescued her from that grotesque beast, when I really should not have done so without Erinn's permission to leave the house, let alone the town, especially when I almost died because of my ankle, and the thanks I get is a simple 'Thanks a bunch, sweetie'? And I thought mortals were selfish and foolish to begin with, but now I really see how selfish and despicable they really are!" Prodigy slowed her steps.

"…Well, not all of them are self-centered to their disgusting core. Erinn is a sweet lassie, taking me in and tending to my wounds when I was too crimpled and broken to even be able to pull myself out of the water… But, thinking about it now, the mortal race is composted of a majority of selfish beings with a rare exception of Erinn-like humans scattered about… Why am I talking to myself?"

Prodigy had calmed down by the time she got back to the town. She spoke briefly to Hugo, who told her "that an attractive young lass" came running into town with a scary look on her face, Prodigy's anger had returned, but it was hidden from Hugo.

"Where did she go, Hugo?"

"She went running into the inn. And what happened to your ankle, Prodigy? I told you not to hurt yourself!"

"And I told you not to worry about me!" Prodigy sprinted towards the inn and almost knocked down the door. She was about to release all of her anger at Patty, but didn't interrupt the conversation going on between her and Erinn.

"…This was definitely Edwinn's place, alright. Nobody could do it quite like him, he was the host with the most," Patty said, taking in the scenery of the small inn.

"You knew my father? Oh! You must be Patty! I heard that you were trapped in the Hexagon! I'm glad you're alright!"

"Yeah, that Prodigy girl rescued me, what a sweet little lassie she is!" Patty smiled in her direction while Erinn gave Prodigy the small evil smirk that her grandfather gave her last night, telling her that she was in deep, deep trouble.

"Oh, she did, did she?" Prodigy looked at Erinn with a little guilt, that she lied to Erinn that she wouldn't go to the Hexagon, but then again, Erinn knew how strong she was, so wasn't about to let some monster hurt Patty... Even if Patty deserved it a little. Or a lot, depending on who you are to hate on Patty's rudeness.

"If it weren't for me, Patty could have starved to death or got attacked, she was unable to defend herself, she was trapped underneath the pile or rocks!"

"But your ankle is broken! Again! After it was almost healed, you go and snap it again!* I'm going to have to mend your ankle again..." Neither of them spoke for a moment, then Patty broke the silence.

"How sweet of you to remember me! You were just so little the last time I saw you! You've gotten so big now, and you're helping your dad run the inn, I see! And speaking of the devil, where is your old man?" Patty said, completely ignoring the mini-conversation within hers and Erinn's conversation. Erinn's smile disappeared.

"Oh, I was afraid you'd ask about him. He… He's not with us anymore… It's been two years now…" Patty jumped back, shocked.

"Old Edwinn's kicked the bucket? Why didn't I hear about this? And what does the mean for my inn?-!" Erinn didn't say anything, and Patty quickly realized something and smiled. She turned around and looked at the inn some more.

"So, if he hasn't been here, you've been the one running the inn this whole time for two years, huh? It definitely has the Inncredible Innkeeper's touch. So quaint, I bet the guests feel more welcomed here than in their own homes!"

"That's very kind of you to say, but about this Inncredible Innkeeper's thing you mentioned…" Patty spun back around and grinned at Erinn, hand extended out towards her for no real reason at all in particular.

"Hey, wanna try giving running an inn in Stornway a shot?" Erinn jumped back.

"Ex-Excuse me?!"

"C'mon, let's talk about this somewhere else, maybe in an empty guest room," Patty suggested.

"I… I guess…" While Erinn left her post and followed Patty, she looked over at Prodigy and mouthed out HELP and ME to the fallen angel, and without a word, Prodigy followed them into a guest room listened to their second conversation. Patty told Erinn all about her father being the legendary Inncredible Innkeeper.

"…It's really hard to imagine my old father being this amazing innkeeper of a big, profitable inn…"

"Well, you can't argue with the facts."

"I wonder why he left Stornway for Angel Falls…"

"Yeah, I was wondering too why he gave up his big inn for some stick-in-the-mud backwater town like this." Erinn said nothing.

"Hey, forget about why he did it."

"It's not like I can ask him why he did it, now, seeing as he's…"

"Yeah, what a bummer. Sorry about your loss, sweetie."

"And I'm sorry that you came here all the way for nothing."

"But I didn't come here for nothing! You can make your daddy proud now and take over his old inn for him in Stornway! C'mon, what do you say?" Erinn began to panic and looked at the sky outside of the inn window.

"Oh, it's awfully late! I better go make some dinner!" Erinn ran out of the room, and then paused.

"And, about going to Stornway… I'm sorry, but I can't do it! So, please… Don't ask me anymore about it!" She fled the inn. Patty looked to the door where Erinn ran out of.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll have you seeing sense in no time." She noticed Prodigy and looked over to her.

"Hey, you're that girl from the Hexagon, am I right?"

"Well, it's nice of you to remember me," Prodigy said sweetly, with a hidden sting to her words.

"Yeah, I thought I recognized you. Hey, why don't you try to help Erinn out and bend her arm backwards for her?"

"You mean, try to help YOU out and bend her arm backwards for YOU? Erinn doesn't want to go to Stornway, Patty! You can't just take her away from her home, just because you want her to work for you!"

"Oh, c'mon now! It's what's good for her. Please, just talk to her about it. She'll be more listening to your reason than to mine."

"I dunno, I'm in trouble with her for leaving the village…" After staring at Patty for countless seconds, neither of them responding, Prodigy sighed.

"Alright, fine, but I sincerely doubt she'll be real willing to go with you, just because I ask her to." Prodigy left the inn and found Ivor lingering around outside.

"Hey, Prodigy. I slipped out as soon as my dad stopped scolding me. I saw Erinn looking really upset running to her house. What's wrong with her, do you know?"

"Patty wants her to go work with her in Stornway-"

"Patty wants her to go work with her in Stornway?! That's crazy! Erinn wouldn't do that, would she?"

"Patty wants me to get her to do it."

"You won't let her, though, right? Patty doesn't have the right to boss you around right now, especially after how you rescued her from the Hexagon! And by yourself, even getting yourself in trouble to do so! You broke your ankle to save her, after all! Your ankle!"

"Right, I'm only going to calm Erinn down. I'll see you around Ivor."

"Wait, don't you need help walking to the house? Your ankle-" Prodigy most certainly did not want ANY help from a mortal, more less the mortal that is IVOR! Sure, he's getting better with her, but Ivor is Ivor, and Prodigy is Prodigy! NOT going to happen!

"N-No, I'm fine, honestly, Ivor. Thanks anyways." Prodigy came to Erinn's house, but found a ghost waiting at the door, the same ghost from the Hexagon.

"Hey, aren't you the ghost from the-"

"AGH!" The ghost turned around, startled. "YOU SCARED ME! You recognize me, though, don't you? Yeah, you were the one who I helped find the statue to unlock the door. I should at least make acquaintance with you. My name is Edwinn, and I thank you for rescuing my old friend, Patty. Tell me, what is your name?" Prodigy introduced herself. "Prodigy, huh? Hm, that name sounds familiar… Wait a moment! Aren't you one of our guardians?"

"HANG ON A MINUTE!" a very small-yet-loud female voice called out of nowhere, sounding quite familiar to Prodigy… An orb of sparkling pink light floated Prodigy's way and hit her shoulder. From the orb of light emerged a small tan golden-blonde faerie, dazzling with pink sparkling butterfly wings and sporting a ruffled sherbet orange tank top and dandelion yellow shorts, legs covered in black stockings and feet dressed in black and hot-pink heels. A hot-pink carnation was decorating her golden curling locks of ringlets.

"OW!" she whined, and then glared at Prodigy with chocolate brown eyes. "HEY! I may be as tiny as a rake, but you still have to give a girl some room for her performance!" After she received a look from Prodigy that clearly stated that she didn't understand a word she just said, the faerie shook her head.

"Never mind, I forgive you," she said with somewhat of an apology escaping from her pink glossed lips. "Now then, what were you rambling on about, old fart?" The question was directed at Edwinn.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You were just saying something about Celestrians, or as you mortals call them, your guardians. But look at this little pipsqueak! Do you see a pair of wings on her back or a halo floating above her head? 'Cuz I don't!"

"Pipsqueak…? Like you're one to talk!" Prodigy could only mutter at the time.

"Wait a minute, who are you, anyways?" Edwinn asked. She turned to face both of them.

"Oh, that's right! I should introduce myself! Wait for it..." She paused, then did a quirky little dance in the air. "I'm the stupendous, stunning Stella! The incredible, stupendable skipper of the Starflight Express!" Edwinn and Prodigy sweatdropped in unison.

"...Right..."

"Tell me your story, kid," Stella said to her. Prodigy explained her falling off of the Observatory after the Starflight Express was demolished and fallen mysteriously and how she woke up in Angel Falls without her wings and halo.

"…Right, then you said that you were knocked off of the Observatory, and when you came to, your wings and halo were nowhere to be found? Sounds a little farfetched, don't you think? …But I am in need of a Celestrian right now… Alright, I'll tell you what. If you can prove that you're a Celestrian, then I'll believe you and I'll take you up to the Observatory, alright?"

"And I'll prove my being… how exactly?"

"I don't know, you could… Ah! If you can make this old geezer's soul rest in peace, then that'll be enough proof for me."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" Edwinn spoke up. "I'm not exactly ready to…"

"Let me guess, you have some unfinished business to do, am I right?" Stella turned to Prodigy. "Alright, help this poor goose out, will you? I'll be tagging along with you to make sure you get the job done." Stella jumped into Prodigy's satchel that hung by her hip and disappeared from sight, making herself cozy in Prodigy's storage bag.

**If you read Chapter 3 before I made this chapter, you would know that this was a part of that chapter. That was on accident. So, I'm sorry you're rereading something over, and if it makes you feel any better, I will give you guys three extra chapters! :D Like I said before in a note, I have this all written down. I edit them before adding them in here. It won't be long before the story catches up with me, unfortunately, Prodigy hasn't even left the Quester's Inn yet, I'm afraid to say, where I have the story so far... :( But I have it all planned out in my head. But, even then... Writer's block is a prat. .**


	5. Daddy's Little Girl

Daddy's Little Girl

"Do you know what she meant by 'unfinished business'?" Prodigy asked Edwinn. He thought about it for a second.

"Unfinished business? Hm, there was one thing… but something like that is too small to keep me bound to the earth…"

"What? What is it?"

"I buried something underneath a tree behind the inn, but it couldn't possibly have some much importance to keep me here…" Prodigy ran, then limped after remembering her ankle, to the inn and dug up by the small tree she found behind the inn. She dug up a small gold trophy and read the inscription upon the small plague of the trophy: The Inncredible Innkeeper Title Is Bestowed Onto Innkeeper Edwinn, Title Given By King Schott Of Stornway.

"Was this what you were talking about?"

"My Inny! Oh, yes, that brings back some old memories…" Prodigy wondered if Erinn knew about her father Edwinn being the Inncredible Innkeeper, so she went inside the house, but to her surprise, Erinn was not making dinner like she said she would back at the inn.

"Are you looking for Erinn? I had her go lie down for the night. She was looking very stressed out so I told her not to worry about dinner," Erinn's grandfather said. "And, about your ankle... It' wasn't like that when you left... What did you do to it?" Prodigy, after listening to one more person whining about her ankle, went upstairs very painfully and found Erinn lying on her bed. She looked up and got off her bed.

"What's that you're holding, Prodigy?" Prodigy handed the Inny to Erinn.

"…Title Is Bestowed Onto Innkeeper Edwinn, Title Given By King Schott Of Stornway? I don't get it, why would dad leave his dream to come here?"

"Maybe I can shed some light on that for you, Erinn dear," her grandfather said, walking into the room.

"Grandpa?"

"Do you remember how frail and sick you were as a kid? You were so young and you almost died, we lost your mother to the same fate."

"Yeah, but I barely remember being sick at all. But why would he leave Stornway for sleepy old Angel Falls?"

"That's because you were brought under the waters of Angel Falls. Saving his daughter was more important than living his dream."

"But I stood in the way of his dreams! That's terrible!"

"He knew you would feel like that, so that's why he never told you. But now, seeing as he's gone, I think you have the right to know."

"He gave up his dream so that I would live a healthy life…" Erinn turned towards Prodigy.

"Looks like I'm going to Stornway with Patty, after all. I'm going to continue where my dad left off. I'm going to talk to Patty about going with her."

'But, my ankle!' Erinn left to go talk to Patty and Erinn's grandfather turned to Prodigy.

"Well, there's a bombshell and a half. I knew this day was going to come eventually, though. I'm going to miss her… You should probably get a good night sleep now. It's getting late outside." Prodigy nodded and headed to the guest bedroom, only to be stopped again by Erinn's grandfather.

"Thank you for watching out for Erinn and Patty, and everyone else of Angel Falls. You have my deepest gratitude for rescuing Patty, and you are always welcome here after you departure." Stella popped out of her bag and stretched, flapping her wings heavily. Prodigy couldn't help but stare at the pink wings, envious that her own pair of wings have broken apart a week ago and that she couldn't hover with them any longer.

"You still there, pops?" Stella said, referring to Edwinn. He appeared through the wall and nodded.

"Yes, I am. My little girl's going to carry on my dream for me… I-I feel so happy and content… I don't feel restricted anymore…" Edwinn started to float up, twinkling like a star. "Thank you, benevolent guardian Prodigy." He soared to the heavens like a shooting star.

"Yeah, you did it, Prodigy! You made a poor spirit rest in peace! I totally believe you're 100% Celestrian! Hey, let's go check out the Starflight Express to see if it's up and run-Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" She hovered over to where Edwinn's spirit last stood.

"Shouldn't you be picking up this orb of benevolessence?" Stella asked. She kicked it a little, trying to move it over to Prodigy.

"What benevolessence? I don't see an orb of benevolessence… Are you sure you see one?"

"Yes! It's right flapping here! How can you not see it?" Prodigy shrugged. She walked down the stairs and out the door. She sat down on the bridge and pulled off her right boot-like and rolled up her stocking.

"I guess I lost the ability to see benevolessence," she said as she dipped her wounded ankle into the icy waters. Stella ranted some more about her not being able to see the benevolessence, then paused when she saw that Prodigy was moving her foot around in a circle in the water.

"You can't just LOSE the ability to see benevolessence! That's flapping impossible! You-…What the flap are you doing?"

"Erinn is too busy talking to Patty about leaving, and my ankle isn't going to heal itself."

"So… you're sticking your foot in the water for not flapping reason…?"

"No, the water here magically heals wounds and injuries. Like when my wings fell apart, the water healed me and broke my fall from all the way up to the Observatory."

"…Whatever you say, kid."

"Yeah, by the way… what did you mean by 'Pipsqueak' earlier?"

* * *

The day has come for Erinn and Patty to leave for Stornway. Prodigy's ankle was healed, and the mountain pass had been cleared. Ivor lingered around the house, pretending not to be listening to the conversation, but was really focusing on Erinn's words.

"Be careful out there, Erinn, my dear!" Erinn's grandfather said, hoping to keep his granddaughter, for a little while longer, from her journey to the big kingdom city of Stornway. "The monster population has increased, and it can get pretty dangerous if you don't look out for yourself!"

"Don't worry, grandpa!" Erinn whined, anxious to get headed for Stornway and anxious to stop being babied by her overprotecting grandfather.

"Yeah, don't worry, grandpa! She's safe with me," Patty spoke up, wrapping her arms around Erinn's neck like a teasing older sister. Erinn's grandfather smiled earnestly while his heart cried for the lost innocence and purity of his granddaughter as she would be heading for her future in the city.

"Thank you, Patty. Knowing that Erinn's safe with you helps reassure this old heart of mine that she'll save Edwinn's old dream and make it the reality it once was." Erinn turned to Ivor, and smiled at his pathetic attempt to look as if he wasn't eavesdropping.

"Oh, Ivor!" Ivor flinched and spun around.

"What? What do you want? You're leaving, so clearly you don't care!" Erinn frowned.

"Oh, Ivor, why do you have to be like that? I was going to ask you if you could take care of the inn while I'm away!"

"Erinn, dear, I can do that! No need to get somebody outside of the family to take care of something that our family treasures!" Erinn's grandfather told her, trying to talk her out of handing the inn down to somebody that will make her regret doing so.

"It's been in my family for years to take care of it, and I can't stand to see it be closed down because I'm leaving," Erinn said, sweetly smiling, ignoring her grandfather on purpose.

"Now-now, Erinn! I'm perfectly fit enough to run the inn! And more experienced!"

"Please Ivor?" Ivor's knees got a little shaky at that sweet smile Erinn gave him and how sweet as honey-suckle her words sounded, but it seemed like only Prodigy noticed his nervousness.

"Okay, I'll do it. But it's only because my dad's been nagging on me to do something around here. It's not because of you!"

"Thank you, Ivor!"

"But I'll show you that I'll make that inn become the best in the world! It'll close you out of business because everyone will want to stay at my inn instead of your stupid inn!"

"I wish you the best of luck with that!" She then smirked and said, "But don't assume that I'll let you get the better of me and my inn…" She winked and giggled competitively, making Ivor's eyelid twitch a little. Erinn turned to Prodigy.

"It's all thanks to you that I'll be running my dad's inn in Stornway. If you hadn't been able to find his old Inny, I doubt I would've been convinced that Patty had been telling the truth about my dad being the Inncredible Innkeeper. It was almost like a miracle how you found it, and it was a miracle how you found and rescued Patty. In fact, it was also almost like a miracle how you survived your fall off of the waterfall! You are like a bundle of miracles! I wouldn't be surprised if you turned out to be our guardian, after all!" For a moment, nobody said anything, then everybody, even Ivor, burst out laughing. Although everybody was laughing, Prodigy had a different reason to laugh from the others.

"I'm-I'm just kidding, Prodigy!" Erinn said, grabbing at her stomach to keep herself together. Prodigy laughed a little lighter and nodded.

"Yeah! Yeah!" she said, almost in a relieved way.

'Oh, dear Almighty, that was too close a call for comfort,' she thought to herself quietly.

"Oh! And before you go, Erinn… I better get a letter at least once a month, young lady! I need to know how my little girl's doing in the big city!" Erinn's grandfather spoke up from his laughter.

"I know, grandpa, I know! Don't worry, don't worry!"

"Bleagh! This is too mushy-gushy for me! Too sugary-sweet! Too goody-goody! Too-" Stella's rambling could be heard from inside her pocket. Prodigy slapped at the pocket to shut the faerie up.

"OWWW!"

"Be quiet, you!" Stella poked her head out of her pocket, the flap of her pocket resting on her head.

"Oi! Why did you flapping hit me? I think you broke a flapping wing!" Prodigy freaked out at the sight of the faerie appearing out of the satchel and pushed her back into her pocket.

"Aiiiiiiiiiiii! Get back in your pocket! What if they see you?"

"They can't see me! I'm invisible to mortal eyes!"

"Just get in your pocket, anyways-" Prodigy felt a wave of pain flood through her entire hand as she felt tiny faerie teeth sink into the flesh of the back of her hand.

"OW! SON OF A—Why, you little brat!" Prodigy pulled Stella out of the bag and tried to pry the faerie off her hand. She was unintentionally crushing Stella in her other hand while Prodigy was trying to get her off her hand.

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiii! Oi, you're squishing me, you flapping idiot!" Stella released her teeth and started slashing at her hands with her very sharp manicured nails.

"Stop scratching me with those minuscule, manicured hands of yours!" Prodigy managed to grab Stella by the back of her ruffled orange tank top and watched amused as the tan faerie struggled to get out of her hold. Prodigy smiled when Stella thrashed her small fists around in the air and laughed at the noise Stella's tiny arms made as they cut through the air.

"Put me down! Put me down, so that I can claw out your eyeballs!" Stella snapped furiously.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that! No, you look hilarious when you get this mad!"

"Let go of me! Let go of me, Prodigy! PRODIGY!" a flustered Stella screamed in frustration.

"Back into the bag you go! If you behave yourself after you've calmed down, you might be allowed to sit on my shoulder on the way to the Starflight Express…" Stella looked up at her hopefully.

"What, really?"

"Maybe."

"Wait, yes or no?"

"Maybe."

"Give me a yes or a no!" But before Prodigy would give her a straight, honest answer, she flicked Stella back into her pocket and buttoned the flap.

"Maybe."

"You tricked me!" Stella's whining muffled through the fabric of the bag.

"I didn't trick you! How did you jump to such a wild conclusion like that? When you've calmed down, then we'll talk about you riding on my shoulder." Prodigy turned around and found the group of humans looking strangely at her. She awkwardly blushed in front of them.

"Uh..."

"Did you hit your head somewhere in the Hexagon or something? You're acting a little... weird..." Erinn asked, a little worried.

"Ye-Yeah, just some rubble hit me in the head from the ceiling and knocked me out for a few minutes or something..." Prodigy looked away from the staring eyes, hoping they would get off her soon...

* * *

When the commotion died down, Stella poked her head out of the flap of the pocket again.

"Let's get going, ourselves. You know where the Starflight Express is, right?" Prodigy nodded, folding her arms across her chest.

"Of course I do. Why would I forget?"

"No need to look so flapping proud with yourself! I'd hardly expect a Celestrian as yourself would forget where it was! Let's go!" Stella disappeared into the bag again. Prodigy got walking, but a heavy aura hung about her.

"But… I wasn't really being proud of myself…"

**Hi, guys! Um... Yeah, about promising you the extra three chapters... I, uh... *GULP* ...I realized that I am at the end of the next chapter... So, how about this? I post half of the chapter that I have already done, and I'll try to have the rest of the chapter done in... Two weeks? ...N-No, please! Put down the pitchforks! I-I'll keep on top of this story, please don't kill me! =m=**

**Guys, I have two other stories that I need to work on. One of them, I'm stuck with, the other I could just wrap up quickly. Anybody a Yu-Gi-Oh! fan? They are of that fanfiction. Feel free to take a reading to it. Sadly, this will be my only Dragon Quest fanfic. But, I will have it in a series of three. The story is halfway done for the first book. Thank you for all of your support! 3**


	6. To The Starflight Express!

Return To The Starflight Express!

Prodigy arrived at the mountain pass again, after Patty and Erinn came through. She stood at the steps of the celestial carriage and found it to be as dead-looking as it did when she arrived with Ivor. Stella crawled out of the pocket and stared up at the carriage.

"Let's get going in," she said, as if she hadn't noticed a thing about it. She knocked on the door twice, and the door burst open. The color still didn't change on the outside, but on the inside, gold was painted everywhere, and a holy aura washed about Prodigy, but another aura was with it, as if it was the aura of death. This was definitely not the Starflight Express Prodigy had seen and felt at the Observatory…

"C'mon, Prodigy! Get your Celestrian butt in here!" Prodigy hesitated, then climbed aboard. Stella had flown over to the control panel and took a seat.

"Snazzy, eh?" she asked Prodigy with a wicked proud grin. "Pretty swish, ain't she a beauty? Still, I think it's time she had some new renovation. I'm thinking big, I'm thinking glamour! I'm thinking pink rhinestones with gold around them! What'd you think?"

"I'm thinking no!" Prodigy said coldly, glaring up at her travel "buddy". This Stella faeries was going to get on her nerves if she hadn't done so by now…"

"Not real thrilled about my ideas, huh? I bet you just want to get going back up to the Observatory, huh? Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm pretty anxious to get up there and get the down-low of what's going on, myself." Stella flown back over to the control panel and dramatically paused.

"Alriiight, iiiiit's TAAAKE OFF TIIIME!" Stella slammed her fist down on the control panel. The Starflight Express shook as if it was going to get off the ground, making Prodigy's legs shake and made her lose her balance, and Stella looked around, fairly happy with herself. All of a sudden, it crashed into the ground again, forcing Prodigy to do a belly flop onto the floor. Stella just stared at the control panel.

"…Oh, flap. We have a problem." She looked up at the sky.

"Oi! Almighty One! We're in big need of Your help, so why don't You please give us a flapping hand?" After a moment with no response from the Almighty, Stella looked around.

"Huh, I wonder why He didn't do anything," she said to herself.

'Huh, yeah, I wonder why!' Prodigy thought to herself, looking up at Stella. Their gaze matched each other's, and then Stella realized something.

"Hey, maybe it's you that's the problem…"

"Pardon me? What's that supposed to mean?" Prodigy asked, picking herself off the floor.

"Well, I mean, it's a little much of me to believe that Celestrians can just LOSE their wings and halo, right?" Prodigy's eyes almost gone up in flames.

"NO! IT'S NOT TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO BELIEVE! CLEARLY WE CELESTRIANS CAN JUST LOSE OUR WINGS AND HALO, BECAUSE I DID! WHAT IF YOU LOST YOUR WINGS? YOU THINK I WOULD NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE A FAERIE?!" Stella waved her hands in front of Prodigy to calm her down.

"Calm down, calm down! I didn't mean it like that! Don't get your knickers in a bunch! Geez, you must still be pretty flapping edgy from the fall, and I can't get us up from the ground… I'm just saying that, maybe the Starflight Express doesn't think you're a Celestrian."

"Come again?"

"Your wings and halo signify you being a Celestrian. You lost them, and maybe you lost some of your celestial powers with them. Maybe that's why you can't see benevolessence anymore, because that was one of your powers that you had. Maybe, if you do a good deed and get a bunch of benevolessence in the Almighty's eyes, He'll come to your rescue and give you your celestial powers back."

"Wasn't rescuing Patty a good enough deed?"

"Apparently not… Hey, that gives me an idea! I bet there's people in Stornway that you can help out and get benevolessence from them!"

"Do I really have to go? My legs are tired from walking!"

"Not too thrilled about my idea? Well, tough turkey! That's what I said we're doing, so peg it, Prodigy!"

Prodigy sighed and stepped outside of the Starflight Express. Stella took a chance and perched upon her shoulder, crossing her legs in an effeminate way, and giving Prodigy her signature begging "PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE" face that Prodigy had no choice but to give in to.

"Alright, fine. You can ride on my shoulder." Prodigy left the mountain pass with Stella, and a second later, a winged-being arrived at the scene. The adolescent-looking angel ran a hand through his snowy white hair and looked up at the celestial carriage.

"Perhaps the celestial carriage fell to her rescue…" he spoke aloud.

'I could have sworn I heard Prodigy… Or I might just be hearing things…' he thought miserably, looking down at his feet.

"No, you are not just hearing things, Platinum," he said to himself, looking around. "Her voice is too recognizable and is too pure to be a reoccurring haunting to you. She must be near."

'You don't even know if this was where she fell down to… You lost sight of her, and she has legs and feet of her own to move around on with…'

'Yes, I cannot check every corner of the Protectorate at once. But rest assured, I am positive others are searching for her to bring her back home, just as I am.'

"I will find you, my love. I will be your savior and return you back to our home." He, too, exited the scene through the mountain pass after Prodigy.

**Haha! Hey, guys! I realized that this was a chapter all on it's own! So, actually, instead of showing you one chapter and a half, I will be showing you two chapters tonight! Yay! Hopefully you guys won't destroy me with pitchforks! Ahahahahahehehehehahahehe... *GULP* Um... Yeah, as for the next chapter... I'm extremely sleepy... It's 10:51pm where I am, so I'm going to be going to sleep, and if you guys want me to post the next half-chapter and work on the other half of it, you won't come try to find me, and you won't kill me in my sleep. Ahahahahehehehe...**

**Yeah, anyways, about the chapter! Sorry this one was short, but at least it's something... I think this story is one of my best yet! :D And also, guess you this mysterious little man angel is! First person to guess correctly will get a virtual cookie! ...The good kind, not the bad kind that messes up your computer. Tell me who you think it is in the ever-so-lovely, but not as lovely as me (of course), review box down there over yonder. VVV**

**Platinum: But it says my name up there.**

**Me: Where?!**

**Platinum: The fourth to last chapter. Where I say "No, you are not just hearing things, Platinum."**

**Me: -Squints and reads sentence- e_e Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaang iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iit...**

**Platinum: You also should be saying something...**

**Me: What?**

**Platinum: Something about... You know... Rights to stuff... Like the game itself... And the characters...**

**Me: ...I don't follow...**

**Platinum: You should be mentioning that you don't own Dragon Quest IX, or any part of Dragon Quest-**

**Me: But I do own Dragon Quest IX! I have the game right here-**

**Platinum: No-no, not the game cartilage. The idea of the game and the characters.**

**Me: ...But I do own some characters! I own you, and I own Prodigy, and I own Raven! And I own Prodigy's team, and I own the secret side of-**

**Platinum: No, don't talk about that yet! Don't spoil anything! They'll know in the second book!**

**Me: ...Okay, but I DO own that side of her!**

**Platinum: Anyways, you could get sued if you don't mention that you don't own the idea of Dragon Quest IX.**

**Me: I dun wanna be sued! ;-;**

**Platinum: Then mention it!**

**Me: Alright, yeah, I don't own the IDEA of Dragon Quest IX, but I DO own a game cartilage of Dragon Quest IX, so that counts for something.**

**Platinum: If you say so.**

**Me: I also own my OCs, the parts that I twisted the plot of the story with, and I own this story, this series! That also counts for something!**

**Platinum: Again, if you say so.**

**Me: I ALSO own Seto Kaiba, Malik Ishtar, Yami Bakura, Ryou Bakura, and thiefshipping! I own them! I OWN THEM!**

**Platinum: No you don't.**

**Me: ... You couldn't have just said "If you say so" again...**

**Platinum: ...**

**Me: Anyways, who does own Yu-Gi-Oh! and Dragon Quest IX?**

**Platinum: ... How should I know? I'm just an OC...**


	7. Enter, Nu'un, Serenity, and Lorenzo! Pt1

Enter, Lorenzo, Nu'un, and Serenity!

Prodigy and Stella arrived in the kingdom city of Stornway and were taken by the differences of the two towns they have been to together. The last was a peaceful little laid-back village, where there was not a care in the world for change, and this city was moving at a fast-pace with changes growing about rapidly, looking towards a brighter, more advanced future, while the other was going nowhere towards the future.

"Nice town, there's even a shopping district up ahead! And, hey, is that a castle?" Stella was very preoccupied with looking around the city.

"Well, this is a kingdom, there's going to be a castle, Stella," Prodigy said, trying to appear uninterested in the town, but was still stealing a glance here and there. While she was sneaking a peek around the corner, she found Erinn and Patty in front of a big building. Erinn was looking down at her feet and Patty had her hand on her shoulder.

"Now there! What's wrong?" Patty asked her, trying to look up at Erinn's face when she crouched down.

"I'm just a bit nervous, that's all. I mean, what if the others won't accept me into the group..."

"Hey now! There's no reason to think that! I'm sure you'll do just fine! Seriously, quit worrying!" Erinn looked up and smiled.

"Thank you, Patty." Patty nodded and walked up to the door.

"Hey, guys! I'm back, and I brought a big ball of sunshine with me!" Patty opened the door, and she lead Erinn into the building, which Prodigy assumed was the inn that Erinn's father Edwinn used to run. Stella laughed and flew off Prodigy's shoulder and into the inn.

"This should be good for a laugh.."

"That's not nice, Stella," Prodigy said, but secretly thought that, too, herself. Not that she wanted Erinn to fail, per sa, but she just thought that maybe it would be funny if Erinn failed, maybe? Although why she thought that it would be funny was beyond her.

Prodigy entered the inn to find a pale redhead girl glaring at Patty and Erinn.

"... So, this is the so-called 'big ball of sunshine' you were talking about? I don't see anything special about her! And didn't you say the same thing about me? Now look where we are! We are on the brink of closing down, are you trying to finish us off?-!" The girl made Erinn look like she was about to cry. Prodigy scowled and bit her lip, about to give this girl the time of day, a very painful one, but Patty spoke up quickly before Prodigy did. This gave Prodigy some time to wonder why she cared so much about Erinn being ridiculed by some other human.

"Cool it, Ginny! You'd think that I'd pick up just any old girl off of the streets? This girl here may be ordinary-looking, but she's got some special blood in her."

"Ordinary-looking? Gee, thanks Patty," Erinn murmured underneath her breath.

"You said that you were going out to find the number one guy who can take can turn this place around, and no offense or anything, but that doesn't look like the guy you were talking about!" Ginny turned around and pouted.

"Oh, please, Ginny! Give me a chance!" Erinn begged. "I won't let you down! I'll do everything that my dad taught me!" Ginny turned back around, with a slightly softer look upon her pale face.

"Let me guess, you're here to make your daddy proud, huh? I'll admit, that's pretty noble of you, but we don't know how good your dad is..."

"There's your chance!" Patty said to Erinn. "Prove to her how good your father is with it."

"With what?" Erinn asked, then realized what she meant by "it". "You mean this?" She pulled out the Inny that Prodigy gave her. Ginny's jaw dropped.

"What? Your dad was the... the Inncredible Innkeeper?" Erinn nodded, feeling very prideful.

"The one and only."

"Now tell me how much you doubt he was!" Suddenly, Ginny, and the rest of the inn workers, bowed in front of Erinn.

"Oh, great daughter of the legendary Inncredible Innkeeper! Please forgive us for our ignorance!" Ginny said, almost worshipper-like. Erinn immediately shook her head, telling them to get up, while Patty sweat-dropped.

"No, no, that's okay, no need to bow down and worship me... No, seriously, get up! You're scaring me!" Ginny and the others got up and they went back to what they were doing before Erinn and Patty arrived, talking about how they thought that Erinn may be the only one who would be able to save their inn. Erinn finally noticed Prodigy and ran up to her.

"Hey, Prodigy! You came! I'm sorry, but we're not open just yet..."

"Don't be silly, Erinn! Clearly Prodigy didn't just come here to stay the night, now did you, Prodigy?" Prodigy was considering saying "No, I just came here to watch Erinn fail to get the job and laugh at her for it", but Patty cut her off and answered for her, which Prodigy was somewhat grateful for.

"No-"

"No! Of course not! You came here to help Erinn out, because you are a very helpful person!"

"...Pardon me?"

"Patty, what do you think you're doing?" Erinn asked, looking like she was going to freak out about Patty jumping to the-false-conclusion that the wingless Celestrian wanted to help out Erinn at the inn.

"What? I just know that Prodigy wants to help you out!"

"I don't ever remember saying that," Prodigy said quietly under her breath.

"You can't ask Prodigy to help out at the inn! The inn has nothing to do with her!"

"Well, it will when y-ou get all set up and when I stay here for a night," Prodigy said, also quietly under her breath.

"Erinn, baby, you have a knack for attracting people to you and making them feel special! If Prodigy wants to help you out, don't turn her away! Prodigy will make an awesome addition to the staff if you let her work!" Erinn looked at Prodigy, and her frown changed to a small smile.

"Well, I suppose you're right, Patty... So, what do you say, Prodigy? Do you feel like helping me out a bit?"

"Say no, Prodigy!" Stella warned her, popping back out of the pocket. "You need to say no. You can't lounge around working at a flapping inn! You need to get a flapping bunch of benevolessence!"

"I...I-I..." Prodigy stuttered. Why was it so hard for her to say no, like Stella said? Maybe it was because Stella demanded it, and she didn't like being bossed around? ...Yeah, it had to be that! Of course! Stella couldn't tell her what to do! She'll show Stella that she can do whatever she wants, by doing the exact opposite that Stella told her to do! Stella told her to say no? Well, she's going to very well say yes! It TOTALLY had nothing to do with her wanting to help Erinn out! She already did enough of that in Angel Falls...

"You know what, Erinn?" Prodigy started out with that. "As much as I would LOVE to help out..." Erinn and Patty began to frown, while Stella began to smile. Prodigy smiled deviously and wrapped up her sentence.

"...I don't think I can help ALL the time, but of course I would love to help you!" Stella's jaw dropped, and Erinn grinned.

"Thank you so much! I've noticed how people seem pretty drawn to you sometimes... Maybe you'll be able to catch the eye of great guests!"

"I... I can't... You little flapping brat!" Stella furiously pounded her fists on Prodigy's shoulder while yelling at her. As if that hurt her the least bit.

"I do have to venture around, though, so I don't think I'll be able to help right away..." Stella calmed her fists at this and listened, floating by the entrance of the pocket.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry..."

"No, it's okay! You can help out whenever you think you have the time, don't worry!"

"Hey, Prodigy, I have something for you!" Patty spoke up, running towards the counters and motioning Prodigy to come over.

**I updated this for you guys! You're welcome! u**


	8. Enter, Nu'un, Serenity, and Lorenzo! Pt2

**Hey, just FYI, I updated the last chapter. The part one of this... So, I suggest you read it before you read this! :) And this is a long chapter, let me tell you... :O**

*WARNING: I do not own Dragon Quest IX: Sentinel of The Starry Skies. But I do own Prodigy, Platinum, Nu'un, Serenity, Lorenzo, and Raven.

"Hey, Prodigy! Over here, doll!" Patty called and beckoned the angelic minstrel over to the counter. She jumped onto the said counter and crossed her legs, then propped her arm up on her knee and rested her chin in her palm. She didn't say anything for a while, just looked at Prodigy with a wicked smirk, which drove Prodigy crazy that she was called over for no reason, but to stare at Patty for whatever reason, apparently.

"..." Prodigy waited patiently for Patty to say something.

"..." Patty just smirked.

"..." Prodigy still waited, but her patience was starting to wear thin... Her patience was running like an hourglass in motion.

"..." Patty didn't say anything. Still smirked, as if she didn't notice that she was driving Prodigy insane with this silence. Oh, but did she really know?

"..." Prodigy felt the presence of a sweatdrop coming. Her patience was nearing it's last, as if someone flipped her hourglass over to let the sand go back to the other side.

"..." Oh, Patty blinked. But yet, a single word was yet to be peeped past her lips.

"..." The last grain of sand had fallen, and Prodigy was on the edge of her patience. No, take that back. Prodigy's patience was already gone.

"OKAY, are you going say something, or just sit there and do nothing? What did you call me over here for?" Patty laughed, and then tapped Prodigy on the tip of her small, stubby nose.

"Whoa-ho! Chill, child! Calm down, sweetie!" she said, and laughed again when Prodigy looked stunned for a minute, then rubbed her nose flusteredly, as if she was trying to get rid of that feeling of her nose being tapped. Aquila used to tap her nose to get her attention when her mind would wander off from his teaching. Never too hard, never too soft. Always got her attention, and would always get the same reaction of rubbing her nose to get rid of the sensation still lingering on her flesh, that irritating tingling feeling that wouldn't leave her own.

As much as that feeling was comfort to her-a reminder of her missing angelic guide, her celestial mentor who disappeared from the Observatory and the Protectorate without a trace-she'd much rather not take that reminder from Patty, as she still has hopes of finding and reuniting with Aquila.

"Don't do that, please do not tap my nose, I cannot stand that," Prodigy grumbled, still rubbing her nose furiously. "That had better not be the only thing you called me over here for..."

"No, I have something for you. Or, more like, some people." Patty hopped off of the counter and walked over a loner door. The muffled sounds of a flute were heard through the oaken wood.

"Some... people...?" Prodigy murmured in her confusion while she walked over towards Patty. She followed the woman into the room behind the loner door, and found three new faces spread amongst the room. There was a boy lying in the covers of the middle bed of three, the covers brought up over his shoulders, or more like over his face, and bushy brown hair poking out underneath the sheets. There was another boy, reading a book at the round oak table in the middle of the room. Prodigy took huge notice of a pair of black cat ears sitting in the wave of his cyan blue hair. And there was a girl draped in a coral pink robe and a silky pink skirt kneeling in front of the fireplace, trying to keep warm.

She was filling the room with sweet sounding music, that was perhaps lulling the boy in the bed into a sleep. The melody of the flute was calming, yet somberful. The melody in itself seemed to have told Prodigy about her story, the one of her falling off of the Observatory. The low notes were she, falling farther and farther from her home as the notes got deeper, and the high notes were her cries and screams echoing in the night. When the pace quickened, it was her heart pouncing in her chest from the terror she felt of falling and losing sight of her love, and when the pace slowed, it was time slowing to an almost stop, the fall seemed to go on forever and ever.

Then there was the sudden explosion of excited notes, and the rhythm trailed off steadily but surely, but never completely leaving the ears, and that was like Prodigy's wings breaking apart in the explosion, and the feathers falling behind her like a trail in the night sky like stars, and some feathers stayed with her until her landing in the waters of Angel Falls, where they floated upon the water as bloodied beautiful white plumes.

Then, the music... What was it about this new song that she heard before? It sounded so familiar... And it took the cold, heavy feeling that had settled in her mind and on her heart for the moment of being in the room. It was a beautiful and blissful tune, now. Like that same feeling she had when she was only 30 celestial years old, not having to worry about the weight of guardianship resting on her shoulders, not having to share the role of a guardian with her best friend, who'd later on become her sweetheart. Not having to, but held a huge admiration for being able to, with a childlike fascination.

'I want to grow up to be like you, Aquila!' the voice of her younger self rang in her voice like a higher-pitched note on the flute. 'I want to grow up to be a big, strong guardian! I want to grow up and protect the world!'

'That's a huge responsibility for such a tiny little petite child like you...' Aquila's voice was full of worry, too present to be masked by his firm tone, just like it was the day she and Platinum became guardians.

'But I can do it! You will watch me grow up to be strong like you and protect the world from the dark, right Aquila?' There was a sad smile on his face, which had taken away Prodigy's childlike grin on her small chubby toddler-like face.

'I won't always be there to watch you grow up, Prodigy. I'm getting to become an old angel...'

"Old like Apus Major?' Aquila had never laughed before, let alone laugh at something so hard that he had to hold his stomach. Prodigy had never remembered Aquila looking so happy before, he usually was putting on a serious show, only revealing his emotions when he thought no one was looking. Prodigy also never remembered having her hair be ruffled by Aquila, either. She didn't know what to make of it, or what to do about it, so she just froze and stared in awe as one of the most respected elder angels showed off his "happy emotion" around her.

'Yeah-Yes, old like Ap-pus Major! Just-just don't-don't tell him th-that you said tha-that!' Aquila quieted his laughter after a minute and sat down on the staircase.

'Do you see that, Prodigy? Do you know what those are?'

'Those bright dots in the sky?'

'Yeah, those dots, they are called stars by the mortals. But what they really are, one of those little bright specks, is the soul of a Celestrian whose duty in the world has been fulfilled... So they leave us behind in this world, and they shoot up towards the night sky and scatter about, making their spirits as bright and pure as their souls were in this world. Someday, Prodigy, I am going to become one of them, and way eventually, you and Platinum will, too...'

'Do the mortals become stars too?'

'I don't believe they do... Possibly, if their souls were about as white as one of ours... But unfortunately, not all mortals are good like us. All are born with sin, and some rot away in this sin, while some try their best to venture away from it.'

'...Aquila?'

'Yes, Prodigy?'

'If you... Become one of those stars before I become a star, can you make yourself really bright for me? I want to remember which star you are... So that I can pray that you are well, even in another world...'

'Prodigy, in the next world, there will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more sadness. There is no reason to pray for me, because the Almighty would have already made me well in the next world. But I will make myself brighter in the sun, so that you know that's Aquila, and not Xenon, or Orion, or the North Star, even...'

'...Aquila?' Prodigy took a step next to Aquila on the staircase, and stared up high at the starry sky.

'Yes, my child?'

'If you become a star before I become a guardian, would you watch over me and be my guardian?'

'Of course I would. I would always protect you, whether I'm in this world, or the next. And I would always watch over you, and watch you grow up and protect the world.'

'Are my mommy and daddy watching over me right now?'

'I am not with them, but I wouldn't doubt it, of course they are. And they always will, and I always will, too.'

'Do you think they miss me?'

'Yes, of course they miss their child. They couldn't have the chance to raise you, they would love to be with you and watch you grow to become a beautiful young woman.'

'I miss them...' Prodigy looked down at her boots, feeling a tear threatening to come crawling down her cheek. She felt a big hand hold her shoulder.

'I know you do... We all do... Taurus was a good man, and Aster was a great woman. They will be missed dearly, but at least they brought a great legacy behind to remember them by. With Taurus' bravery and strength, and Aster's beauty and skill, you are what they gave this world. I regret having some doubt in you. Of course you'll protect the world, you are their child. Their prosperity, and our salvation.'

"Prodigy... ... Hey, are you even listening to me? ... ... Oi, wakey-wakey, Prodigy!" Prodigy was brought out of her memories at the sound of a voice with a bossy tone about it. She blinked her eyes to get rid of the heavy closing feeling that was taking over. She realized that the flute had stopped playing the beautiful music, and that the three strangers were now standing at attention in front of her.

"Prodigy, like I was trying to tell you a second ago, these are your new companions. This is Lorenzo, he's in the warrior vocation." Patty gestured her hand over to the boy from the bed. He yawned behind his hand and waved as he rubbed his sleepy eye.

"Lorenzo...?" Prodigy didn't want to admit it but she liked that name. It was easy to roll off the tongue, and once you heard it, one time is all that it takes for it to be etched into your memory. The name Lorenzo had a respectable ring to it, it was a fitting name for a warrior. Prodigy expected great things from this child standing before her, hoping that he would have no difficulty winning battle after battle with the monsters in the field, like he was having difficulty fighting back the sleepy spell placed upon him! But of course, she was probably expecting too much out of him, he looked only fourteen, after all. He probably couldn't even pick up a sword, not even a rapier! His name was nothing but his identity, it spoke none for his skill. That was something Prodigy was going to have to decide for herself, decide if he was worthy of being in her presence.

"And this is Serenity, she is currently studying in spellcraft, but she was once a minstrel, just like you, so don't feel upstaged by her when she puts on the glitz and fights with style, I know there's room for two beauties on the stage in the field!" Serenity gave Prodigy a big wave of her hand, just like Patty's wave, and bowed before her. She was tired of being assumed that she was a minstrel, just because she wore funny-looking clothing, according to the mortals, but she definitely didn't mind being called a "beauty" one bit. And if Serenity want to "put the glitz" into battle, Prodigy didn't mind that at all, it'd bring some entertainment into the frays whenever she mixed it up. Serenity may "put the glitz" into the fight however she pleased! But that didn't mean by any means that she was allowed to upstage Prodigy in the least! After all, Prodigy was the leader of the group, she will always be the one who would give the commands, she will always be the one who would deliver the final blow, she will always be the one who would outstage them all. And no pretty-faced pink-haired mortal was going to get in her way of outshining them, outshining them like the North Star outshines all of the stars in the galaxy.

"And this, this is Nu'un. He's been a priest since he had been serving Abbot Jack from Alltrades Abbey on Newid Isle. He also trained himself in the spear skill, he ain't scratching the surface of the skill no more, I highly doubt he'll be defenseless! I'm sure you're already aware of this, priests are attacked more often because they heal the team's wound, so they usually need someone to keep an eye on them and their safety. But not this guy, he might even be able to take a blow or two for someone, if need be!" Patty slapped Nu'un's shoulder and beamed proudly. But as for Nu'un, he wasn't smiling in the least...

There was a silent stare-down between the celestial minstrel and the mortal priest. There was already a sense of hatred between the two of them. Prodigy was, shockingly, not the one who started the hatred feeling. It was the boy, it was the priest. It was him, it was Nu'u. It felt like Prodigy was having a stare-down with herself, someone who was quick to judge others before she actually got to know them as a person. What she didn't understand was what did he right off the bat hate about her? She was the Almighty's advanced race of beings, she was a flawless creation. She was perfect. She wasn't mortal, she was a Celestrian. She was absolutely perfect! Perhaps THAT was what Nu'un hated about her. He must be sickened with envy and jealousy that he could not even dream about being as perfect and without flaws as her.

The flares died down when the two of them when Nu'un looked away, scowling. Prodigy did the same. How DARE he look at her like that! That imperfect human, glaring at her as if he were her equal! Her only equal is Platinum, and he was nowhere to be seen! Prodigy kept her face filled with anger at the healing child's revolting insolence, but her mind did wander off from the current scene to the top of the Observatory, as she was knocked off. Platinum's eyes, the horror they held as they realized they were going to lose their loved one, were forever etched in her mind. Now, thinking about it now, she could have picked Platinum's screaming her name through the eerie clouded sky. How loud he must have been, but how quiet his scream was to her that she had to relive the pain a second time t hear it. Where was Platinum? Was he injured at the Observatory? Or had he tumbled after her, and lost his wings and halo, too? Or maybe, he had gone down to find her?

"Wait, wha...?" Patty looked from Prodigy to Nu'un, then back to the minstrel, then back to the priest. "What's going on here? Is there something that I missed? Do you guys know each other somehow?"

"No, but I don't know what his problem is-"

"I just hate her, and I'm sure that won't change. It never changed, not with the others, she'll discard us after she's done with us. The others always did." Prodigy's ears perked up to the last thing Nu'un had said. What did he mean by "others"? And what was it about them that gave Nu'un a bad opinion of Prodigy before he could even get to know what she's like? She highly doubt they were the same as her, the chances of all of these "others" being fallen angels were very slim. In fact, you might even consider deeming it impossible.

"Come on, Nu'un, they were not thugs like you want to make them seem..."

"Most of them were two-faced and mistreated us out in the of them were thugs, two of them were literally in the thieving vocation!"

"Who's they?" Prodigy's question filled the room, but didn't ever get answered by anyone with words. Serenity and Lorenzo looked down at their feet, and Patty looked over at Nu'un to nudge him into answering, but Prodigy turned her attention to Patty when she got sick of feeling the icy stare boring into her eyes from Nu'un's glaring scowl.

"Their past leaders of their group. I don't know what their history is, but these three have been together for a year, I think they said. They have their many personal reasons why neither one of them can be a proper leader. so they rely on the aid of someone who has great leading skills to guide them, but their past leaders were, from what I hear, awful to them."

"Awful? No, they weren't awful, they were their own separate nightmare, worse than the one before them!" Nu'un was speaking to Patty, practically ignoring Prodigy, as if she weren't even there. "They especially picked on Lorenzo for his untamable emotions, and Serenity for her gender, and hurt them emotionally, and sometimes psychically, with punching, shoving, and kicking!"

"What's wrong with Serenity's gender?" Again, Nu'un refused to answer to Prodigy, not like she even wanted an answer from the incompetent child to begin with. She'd much rather get her answer from Patty, and was surprised that she did get one, but not from Patty.

"There aren't a lot of female fighters out in the field where I'm from, most women and girls stay home while their brothers and fathers go out and fight." Serenity's voice was unusually soft, and was soothing to the ears to listen to. Prodigy didn't think she'd have much of a problem with Serenity talking too much, her voice wasn't annoying, not like that of the mortal females she's met on the trip. Not pointing out who, but one was wearing an orange bandana around her blue haired head, and the other one had just whipped her in the face with her turquoise ponytail.

"The ones who do go out and fight usually get some nasty remarks about losing their feminine qualities by deciding to go out and fight. And two of our leaders were from the same region as me, so they picked on me for fighting, and also for leaving my home to wander the lands. Women are supposed to stay home, not walk about the lands and fight."

"Thankfully it was only one who mistreated you like that... the other was not that cruel..." Lorenzo spoke up, looking slightly up at Serenity with a face of sadness and empathy.

"Let's not talk about that, that's not something I want to relive.." Serenity closed her lavender eyes to hide the hurt swimming in them. Prodigy didn't dare ask what they meant, because she didn't know them to tell her. She already knew what they had meant, and she didn't want to know anymore about it.

"Ah... I see..." Prodigy nodded sorrowfully. "I'm sorry I asked." She felt the piercing eyes of Nu'un, glaring at her with pure hatred. As if Raven had taught him to hate her with a burning passion hotter and brighter than a thousand suns. Could she have possibly been one of the leaders they have had in the past? Could she have possibly already turned Nu'un against her? What about the other two? How come they don't seem to hate her?

"This is... This is too much, Patty. I-I have to. I have to go." Prodigy rushed out of the inn as soon as her mortalized feet would take her.

**Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes or misspellings. My laptop translates 5% of my uploaded work from the AlphaSmart wrong, forgets 5% of the letters typed. It's really annoying... So if you see anything, please feel free to point anything out in a review or PM! Thanks, dolls!**


	9. The Wight Knight Saga Pt 1

"What's wrong, Prodigy? What's gotten into you?" the voice of the sassy faerie spoke to Prodigy as she nearly tripped on the steps near the Quester's Rest. It brought Prodigy the strangest, and smallest, bit of comfort that the faerie flew out of her pocket and came before her face as a twinkling pink sparkly ball of light and pixie dust.

"You don't... You don't think that..." Prodigy gasped, not getting up from the ground.

"Do I think that... What? Spit it out, you flapping idiot! As amazing as I may be, I can't read flapping minds!"

"..." Prodigy dearly wanted to voice her concern about Raven's influence and presence being possibly nearby. But then she remembered that Stella and she only knew each other for a week. Stella probably had no idea who Raven even was. "Ne-Never mind. I'm just being stupid."

"You say that like it's not normal." Prodigy picked herself up and brushed the dirt off of her. She pushed the worrying thought to the back of her mind. Raven was probably still in Hell, recovering her strength that Prodigy knocked out of her before her fall. Prodigy smirked at that, beating Raven to a pulp. It used to be thought more as a chore, but right now, it sounded like fun, like a sport almost.

"Maybe I should take a walk, to calm my nerves..." She began to walk down the path that lead straight from the gates of the kingdom-like town.

"What was it exactly that made you leave in a flapping hurry?" Stella flapped her wings hard to catch up to her. Prodigy wasn't taking a walk; she was practically talking a run!

"It's hard to explain... I don't like that Nu'un child. The other two are fine... ish... But HIM... It's like he hates me naturally!"

"He definitely seems like a flapping sourpuss, alright... Apparently his other leaders are what got his flapping knickers tied in a bunch."

"Right, and I learned that they were horrible to the girl and the boy... But what does that have to do with HIM? He's taking it way too personally, as if he himself was mistreated, too..."

"The girl? The boy? I'm pretty sure they have flapping names!"

"Did you memorize them?"

"Uh... No...?"

"Right, I didn't either. I probably don't even need them on the adventure, so I might as well not bother to learn them... I'll need to let go of that grudge that 'Nu'un' child has against me-"

"Look out for that side-"

"What sign-" What happened next was hard to explain. There was a big wooden sign in front of her, and she walked into it. And tripped/flipped over it somehow. How someone could have pulled something that spazzy off flawlessly was beyond Stella's comprehension. She had never known a Celestrian so uncoordinated, and so oblivious to an approaching piece of wood. Stella peered over the sign to find Prodigy in a painful heap.

"The sign that beat your flapping ass."

"Who puts a sign in the way of people walking?"

"The same person who thought that everyone walks on paths, not off of them, King Schott."

"That was a rhetorical question, you weren't supposed to answer it."

"Well, rhetorical or not, that's the flapping truth. King Schott put this sign here."

"What makes you say that?" Prodigy had gotten back to her feet and was facing the sign with Stella.

"It has his signature right here in the corner of the sign. Can't you read it?" Prodigy said nothing. Stella looked closely at Prodigy, and it took her a while to notice, but she realized that Prodigy's cheeks were tinted the slightest shade of pink.

"Icantread," Prodigy muttered extremely quietly and unclearly.

"What?"

"Icantread."

"You can't what?"

"I. Can't. Read."

"Why can't you read?!" Stella took a seat on the top of the sign.

"Aquila was supposed to teach me and my best friend and lover Platinum how to read or write after he taught him and I everything we needed to know about guardianship. But he wasn't around to be able to teach us how to read or write, he disappeared from the Observatory soon after..." Stella was surprisingly quiet.

"...Oh... Okay... Do you need me to tell you what it says?"

"...Yes..."

"It says 'Please help! There has been a black armor-cladded menace who keeps terrorizing the town and the castle. He goes by the name of the Wight Knight, and he's been ruining all peace that was here before. If any brave soul is willing to take care of this problem, please come to the castle immediately! King Schott'." A lightbulb went off instantly above Stella's head.

"I got it! This is a great way to get a whole boatload of benevolessence! You should go to the castle and fight this menace-guy! I'm sure the Almighty will notice you and me after this!"

"I didn't have any other ideas, so I'll just go with that. I'm regretfully thinking that..."

"...That you might need help from the mortals?" Prodigy nodded, feeling icky on the inside. She'd much rather ask Raven for help defeating this evil character than asking Nu'un!

Patty was sitting on the counter when Prodigy walked back into the inn.

"Patty... I might need them, after all." Patty smirked.

"I thought so, too. Yo, guys! Come out here!" Lorenzo and Serenity bolted out the door, with so much more energy that they had ten minutes ago, especially when one of them was asleep ten minutes ago. Nu'un slowly left the room and stared at Prodigy. The hateful fire wasn't burning in those eyes like they were a while ago, but they weren't too thrilled to see Prodigy, either.

"Looks like you guys got yourself a new leader." Lorenzo and Serenity seemed really happy about venturing out, despite the sound of their pitiful past. Nu'un wasn't too angry, but he sure as hell wasn't excited about leaving with her...

"Who exactly IS the Wight Knight?" Prodigy decided to ask her new band of humans. Lorenzo and Serenity were like little balls of sunshine before she asked that question, but now, you wouldn't have been able to think that after looking at their faces now. Even angst rebellious Nu'un was looking concerned, and quite scared, to a degree.

"...You're no seriously planning on fighting him, right?" Serenity croaked. "Please tell me that was a joke!" Her voice, while still soft-sounding, was scared, and her eyes did not betray it, they looked just as scared as it sounded. Lorenzo was trembling just slightly, and Prodigy thought that she heard a quiet gulping sound from him. His eyes were growing a little bit of tears, too.

"Why? What's wrong with fighting him?" Nu'un looked like he was going to freak out.

"What's wrong with fighting him?! What's-What's wrong? With fighting HIM?! Do you have a screw loose from that fall from the waterfall?" Prodigy took a step back from the hysterical group of children before her. They could start a scene any time soon if they didn't calm down. The last thing she needed was the entire town staring at her just because they were overreacting to what she had said. She only wanted to be noticed by the Almighty, not a town of sticky-nosed mortals!

"How did you know about that fall?" she said defensively. Her voice had a bit of a growl to it.

"Erinn told us."

"Why?"

"She thought it'd be better if we got to know you. She told us that you took a huge blow to the head, back, and ankle. You must be a lot stronger than you appear..." Prodigy hadn't realized it until now, but Nu'un was actually speaking. To her.

"She also said that you had a heart of gold and that you wouldn't be like the others..." Serenity's voice had calmed down said they were talking about Prodigy, and not the Wight Knight.

"Which is why I'm finally giving you a chance to prove yourself to us that you won't be like the others." Before Prodigy could respond to that, Lorenzo talked before her.

"She told us you had an imaginary friend named Stella...?" Prodigy was silent. The party was also silent. She blinked, then they blinked right after. She hesitated, then stuck her arm out to the side. They just looked at her funny.

"...Oh, I thought you were... Mimicking me..." They were staring even harder at her. A few of their eyebrows were raised. She dropped her arm to the side slowly.

"...You got me off-topic! Tell me more about this Wight Knight, and why you guys refuse to fight him!"

"Alright, you must have heard of him somehow. I don't see a lot of people out, so you probably didn't hear it from gossip... Actually, with what's going on,I doubt you'd hear it through gossip, everyone's terrified of him. So you clearly read the sign up there, right?"

"Yeah, I read it..." Prodigy's eyes crept towards the right, knowing that was a lie. Stella kicked her hip from inside of her pocket.

"So you know that it's a big deal to the town. The Wight Knight is some evil knight who attacks the castle frequently. It's from rumors that I've been told this, but I hear that he comes for Princess Simona. That's one of the main reasons the King Schott wants someone brave to fight off the Wight Knight."

"So we're going to do just that." Nu'un raised his eyebrows in defense.

"I said someone brave."

"Yes. I'm brave."

"I'm not, not when it involves anything that involves that knight!"

"There's got to be a reason why he's called the 'Wight' Knight! Maybe he's demonic in some way..." Serenity murmured with a shudder.

"I don't get why he's called the Wight Knight, though... I mean, he wears black armor..." Lorenzo uttered, misunderstanding the name.

"That's tough luck on your part. We're going to talk to this so-called King Schott, whether you like it or not." Nu'un scoffed as Prodigy turned to walk towards the castle, but the glare in her eyes made it clear that there was no more and's, if's, or but's about it. The conversation was dropped, and she had won it. Nu'un stayed while Prodigy walked, but after watching Lorenzo and Serenity take after her, he sighed and picked up his feet, taking after her, as well.


End file.
